Practical Magic
by bonez-baby
Summary: This fic based around the movie Practical Magic. Buffy and Faith are sisters, and together they figure out the consequences of being a Summers witch..and how to live with the curse hanging above their heads. Pairs: BuffAngel, BuffSpike, FaithGunn, Faith?.
1. The Story Of The Curse

_A/N: This is a story based on the movie "Practical Magic" with a twist. No slayers, no vampires or demons-well maybe personal ones-…just witches. Two sister witches work their way through life with all the horrible consequences of being the Summers witches. The first chapter has a lot from the movie but I had to other wise the story wouldn't make sense._

_Disclaimer: None of these characters belong to me...i don't own Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Practical Magic...if you haven't seen the movie, i suggest you do...really good!_

**Chapter 1: The Story Of The Curse**

Eleven-year-old Buffy Summers lay on her back out on the porch with 10-year-old sister Faith. Buffy kept her gaze aimed at the moon, while Faith played with the black kitten on her lap.

"Faithy? What do you think it means?" Buffy asked, her eyes never leaving the sky.

"What do I think what means?" She looked over at her sister with confused eyes.

"When the moon has a ring around it? I don't know what it is but I'm not getting a very good feeling about it."

"Blood on the moon…" Buffy and Faith looked over to the new presence standing in the doorway. "Trouble looms. You two get inside, it's late." Their aunt Jenny called to them.

The got up and made their way to the door. Faith raced ahead of Buffy, knowing that aunt Joyce was setting up to teach her some new spells. Buffy stopped, and took one last long look at the red-circled moon before heading inside.

Jenny stared into the sky with a look of slight fear of what was to come. She tightened her jacket around her as the wind blew harder.

_We have to prepare for whatever's to come…and fast._

Joyce poured her nieces some hot cocoa, and let the spoon stir it by itself while she looked through the magic book to teach Buffy the next spell. She was already way above the level for her age, and was learning quicker everyday.

Faith was good, but her time would come eventually. She just needed to concentrate harder and she would almost be near Buffy's level. Almost.

Jenny came back inside and sat down next to Buffy observing as she blew on the candle and it slowly ignited. "Very good, sweetie! Here, take a break, have your cocoa." Jenny past her the drink and pulled out the self-stirring spoon.

Faith watched with jealously and fascination. "When can I learn how to do that?" she asked pointing at the spoon.

"Oh, sugar…it takes time. And plenty of focus…which you're still working on." Joyce explained.

"Aunt Jenny?" Buffy waited until her aunt turned her head. "Can you tell us about the curse?" she begged with innocent eyes.

"How did you-"?

"Mommy wrote about it in one of her journals. I was looking over it today. Please…?"

The two aunts looked at each other, deciding whether or not to explain the curse of the Summers women.

"For more than two hundred years…" Joyce started. "We Summers women have been blamed for everything that ever went wrong in this town." She stated getting more comfortable in her chair.

"Is that why people hate us so much, aunt Jenny?" Faith turned to the younger aunt with a pouting look on her face.

"They don't hate us, sweetheart. We just-we make them a little nervous." Jenny amended softly, running her hand through her nieces black locks of hair.

"Oh, Let's face it Jen…us Summers women have always created a stir." She countered with a chuckle. "It all began with your ancestor Maria. The first in our family."

"And you two are the latest in our line." Jenny finished off.

"Is that why they hung her…because she was a witch?" Buffy asked with a little bit of disbelief, as she took a sip of her cocoa.

"Well it didn't help that she was a bit of a heartbreaker. And not to mention that a lot of her lover's wives were on the hanging committee." Joyce continued with a soft chuckle. "No…I don't think it was either of those reasons. They feared her because she had a gift." She paused for a dramatic effect. "She had the gift of magic. And it was this very gift…that saved her life. She was banished to this very shore, her unborn child growing inside her belly, she waited for her lover to rescue her. But he never came…no one came. So in a moment of despair, she cast a spell upon herself that she never again feel the agony of love." Joyce stopped letting the girls absorb the new information.

"But as her bitterness grew, her spell turned into a curse. A curse among any man who dare love a Summers woman." Jenny continued for her sister.

"Is that why daddy died…cause of the curse?" Faith asked, with eyes full of questioning.

"Yes, sweetie. Your mother knew. She heard the beetle ticking for your father's death all day long. She knew, that when you hear the sound of the death watch beetle, the man you love is doomed to die." Jenny added softly, knowing that the death of Buffy and Faith's parents was still a hard topic.

"And…mommy died of a broken heart. Because she loved daddy so much." Buffy stated mostly for her self than the others. Tears collected in her eyes, and she fought hard to keep them back.

"Yes…but that's how you came to live with us. And we took you under our wing so-" Jenny was cut off, by a knocking on the door. The four witches turned around and saw what looked to be an angry looking blonde standing by the window with a cocked eyebrow. "Hold on girls." Jenny got up and answered the door.

"Yes? Can we help you…?" she asked expecting a name.

"Glory. Kay listen I need you guys to do the witchy-mojo stuff you do, alright?" She placed her hand on her popped hip waiting for a response.

The aunts looked at each other with a blank look, but mutual thoughts. They turned back to the woman, with raised brows.

"I got money…" Glory threw down two fifty-dollar bills. Joyce got up from her chair and slipped the money in her back pocket. "Okay look here's the deal sugars…I need a love spell. There's this guy and he…" the woman started pacing the floor, waving her hands around her head. "He keeps getting into my head, and-and I can't stop thinking about him!" She stopped suddenly and turned to the witches, making the younger ones flinch at her fast movement. "Make him love me…make him love me like I love him."

Buffy watched this woman that called herself Glory. She seems so lost and so out of her head. She looked hurt. _If that's what love is like…I don't know if I want that. _Buffy thought to herself.

Joyce walked over to Jenny. "Jenny…get the bird." Her eyes were still on the woman in a red, leather dress, who was in tears.

Jenny looked over at her sister. "Get the book." The two split up into the separate rooms. Jenny stopped by the young girls. "Go upstairs, and don't come down till we say, okay?" the two just nodded, and headed up the stairs.

Buffy continued up the stairs until Faith pulled on her arm to sit next to her on the stairs. "Stay…I wanna watch." Her face was full of amusement.

"But the aunts said-" Buffy started.

"Oh come on Buffy, please…just watch." Faith pleaded with her eyes, and Buffy melted by her younger sister's charm.

She plopped down on the step below her and rested her side against the side of Faith's knees.

Jenny and Joyce set up the spell; Jenny opening the book to the correct page, as Joyce held the struggling dove in her hands.

"Do you have a picture?" Jenny asked quietly.

Glory pulled out a picture from her small purse and placed it on the table. She took the long needle with an eagle's talons gripping a marble ball at the end from Jenny. "I want him to love me…that can't eat, can't sleep, make 'me wanna go crazy' kinda love." She quickly stabbed the dove, and the squirming had stopped.

Buffy quickly turned away and buried her head in her Faith's lap, completely disgusted by the scene that just played out in front of her, while the younger witch was looking on in utter enthrallment, eyes wide with wonder, and a ghost of a smile on her lips.

Glory was frozen in place for a few seconds. Jenny pulled the needle out of her hand. She looked at it with interest. "Be careful what you wish for."

Joyce saw Buffy turn away and felt sorry the girl that cared so much for life had to see the death of one. "I hope I never fall in love, I hope I never fall in love, I hope I never fall in love, I hope I never fall in love…" Buffy's voice faded out as tears streaked her cheeks.

"I can't _wait_ to fall in love." Faith stated with excitement.

"I'm sorry you two had to see that." Joyce stated, putting away the spell book. "Are you all right Buffy?" she asked sweetly.

Buffy nodded slowly. "Is she gunna be alright? What's gunna happen to her?" she leaned on the dining room table watching her aunt putting stuff away.

"She's gunna get her wish." She confirmed numbly.

**Halfway across town**

A man tossed and turned in his bed trying to fall asleep, but failing miserably. He got out of bed and headed to the kitchen about to eat something, but he wasn't hungry. He felt like he was going crazy and didn't know why.

He heard voices rambling on in his head, and he clutched it in frustration, letting out a scream of agony.

Buffy stood outside, and saw that the moon still had a ring around it. She maneuvered her way around the garden holding a large wooden bowl in her arm. "He can feel when I'm near…" she said picking off a white rose pedal. "he can…sing my favorite song." She placed another white pedal into the bowl. "he can walk on his hands…" she stated with a giggle, along with another pedal.

Faith appeared in the doorway. "What are you doing?" she asked curiously sitting down in a lawn chair.

Buffy walked over to the table and looked over at the journal laying open on it. She skimmed down the page, and stopped at the sentence that stated her love's eyes. "I'm summoning up a true love spell called 'Amas Veritas'."

Faith looked at the journal with a confused stare. Some of the qualities written in there were impossible to have in one person.

"He'll have eyes that change color…" placing two more pedals in, she continued. "And his favorite creature…will be a dragon…" she placed the last pedal in the bowl.

"I thought you didn't want to fall in love…sometimes you just don't make any sense." Faith shook her head, and stood up walking over to her big sister.

"Well that's the point. I'm giving my true love qualities that couldn't possibly exist. So if he doesn't exist, then I won't die of a broken heart…like mom." Buffy turned around and hid her tears from her sister, trying to be strong for them both.

Faith walked up behind Buffy, and turned her around. Buffy looked up with tears in her eyes, and her bottom lip quivering. Faith took the bowl from her sister's hands and placed in on the table. She quickly turned back and wrapped her sister in a hug.

They both cried together, crumbling to the floor in a wilted heap. After a few minutes, the two pulled apart. "Come on Buff. Let's finish this spell." Faith pulled Buffy up and they dusted themselves off.

Buffy picked up the bowl and held it out in front of her over the edge of the rooftop. The wind slowly blew the pedals out of the bowl and sent them spiraling into the air. Where there were to land…no one knew.

**7 Years Later**

"I'm not going back in there, B! Understand that!" Faith yelled in an exhausted voice. "They nearly ate me up in there. They'll never except us Buff, cause we're different!"

Buffy stood there staring at Faith, knowing she was right, but knowing that giving up wasn't the only way. The two had ended up going to a party that Buffy had overheard some kids talking about at school. _They did say open party. Anyone's invited. _Once they got there, the sisters were just starting to have fun when everything got out of hand.

There was a lot of name calling and teasing, and a fight had almost broken out. Buffy practically had to restrain Faith from pointing her finger, and cursing someone. She had really taken the teasing hard, and Buffy felt bad. She was use to it now, and she tried her hardest to fit in and be normal…but she knew she would always be an outcast.

Now they were sitting outside on the curb by the big house where the party was located.

"Faithy…you make it sound like a bad thing." Buffy moved from her spot beside her to sit in front of her, just off the curb, cross-legged. "It's not. We have power…a gift. Instead of wishing you never had it…embrace it. Look, I know I'm like, the poster child for trying to be normal, but it's never gunna be like that." She finished with the shake on her head.

Faith bowed her head, looking down at her shoes. "I know. I know." She agreed quietly.

"But hey! Look at the bright side…if we really wanted we could turn every single person in that house into a toad." Faith chuckled softly, but didn't look up. "Those really ugly ones, with all the warts, and yucky slimy skin." She joked scrunching her nose in disgust.

Faith finally looked up at Buffy. "Thanks B. For being my sister." She smiled brightly. "Hey, you got your pocket knife?" a frown marred her face as she decided what to do.

"Yeah…" Buffy pulled it out and passed it over. "What do you need it for?" She had confused written all over her face.

Faith whipped the blade open and sliced the palm of her right hand slowly. "My blood…" she grabbed Buffy's right hand gentle and did the same to her, causing her to flinch for a second. "Your blood…"

They both looked down at their hands and clasped them together instinctively. "Our blood." They both said at the same time with twin smiles.

They both got up and made their way back inside, with there heads held high. The room got silent for a second, but from the deadly looks being shot, the teens went back to their own conversations. The witches smiled at each other and made there way to the kitchen for drinks.

About twenty minutes later, Faith noticed a dark haired man from across the room, looking fondly at Buffy. She smiled slyly, and did a little spell.

_The way he's lookin definitely shows that he wants a piece of little ol' Buff. And God knows she needs to loosen up. _

Wind blew past Buffy where she stood beside Faith, causing her hair to blow off her shoulders. She turned around, and caught the gaze of a tall, dark and handsome looking guy. She smiled at him and started walking over to him.

He met her half way, and the two of them lost them selves in a passionate kiss, that had every eye turned on the couple. They kissed with urgency both had never felt before. The man wrapped his arms tightly around Buffy's waist and lifted her off the ground so she was more level with him.

After a few minutes, the man placed her back on the ground, and they both pulled away reluctantly for breath. The two shared a shy smile before he spoke up.

"I'm Angel." His eyes bore through hers, and she held his gaze.

"Buffy." She smiled flirtatiously at him, her eyes dancing with thrill.

"Nice to meet you, Buffy." He returned with a sexy smirk.

"Tell me about it…" she said breathlessly. She grabbed his larger hand in hers, and pulled him through the crowd and up the stairs.

Faith looked at her sister, as she ascended the stairs up to the bedrooms. She was a little surprised at how well her spell had worked. She thought for sure she was gunna screw it up. _Oh well, turned out alright for B though. Looks like Mr. Sexy will take good care of her for the night. _Faith smirked to herself and went to go find a boy toy of her own.

A/N: Like it? Hate it? Let me know!


	2. Big Secrets

A/N: OkayI just wanted to say...in the last chapterI said that the party told place 7 years later, which would make Buffy 17 and Faith 16...well I decided to change that so this is **8 YEAR LATER **making Buffy 18 and Faith 17. mmk just wanted to clear that. Oh and 'Grr, Argh' belongs to Mutant Enemy...not me.

**Chapter 2: Big Secrets**

It was 12:30 now. Two hours since Faith put the whammy on her sister, and she was starting to get bored. She had already danced with several guys, drank a whole bunch, and used her magic to strip one of the guys that made fun of her naked of all his clothing but his tighty-whities. All that was fun then, but now she had nothing to do.

Buffy was still upstairs doing Lord-knows-what with Hunk-a-lious, and was definitely getting a good piece of him. Faith walked off the dance floor and into the kitchen and over to the fridge.

She reached in and grabbed her fifth beer of the night. She sat down at the table and put the cold bottle to the warm skin of her neck. She closed her eyes and let the booming from the speakers in the other room fade out.

"Damn girl…sight like that's enough make a brotha quiver." A built form stood in the doorway leaning on the doorjamb.

Faith's eyes shot open, at the deep voice that had just made it's presents known. A slow smile grew on her face when she realized that it was one of the guys she had just finished dancing with.

"Nice to know I still have that kind of an effect on guys." The dark skinned man gave her a confused look. "Well, I'm sure you've heard the rumors…I'm not exactly _normal_. I tend to get a bad rep, and that don't sit too well with the fellas." She continued. Faith looked down, disappointedly.

"Well…it's sits _very_ well with this fella." The man smirked at her when she looked up at him with a shy smile, which he noted contradicted her whole attire and attitude. And he loved it. "Name's Gunn." He held out his hand and she slipped her smaller hand into his.

"Faith…Summers. You might know my sister…" She stated as she popped open her beer bottle on the counter. She took a long sip before passing it to Gunn.

"Yeah. She put on a little show earlier for the bunch of us with my buddy Angel. They disappeared after that." Gunn took a sip, and placed in back on the counter.

"Yeah…"she chuckled out. "They-uh-they headed on upstairs. Finishin what they started I guess." She ran a hand through her dark locks.

"You didn't happen to have something to do with that, did you? Something, oh I dunno…magical?" Gunn looked at Faith with raised brows and a knowing look.

"Ooooh, maybe." She said, with a flirtatious smile. "Hell man, she needed it. I'm sick and tired of her always keeping to her self and pushin everyone away. She wants the "normal" life…but she's never gunna get it if she doesn't let it happen, you know? So I drove in the right direction, and now…" Faith trailed off with a smirk.

"She's getting driven into?" Gunn finished with a deep chuckle.

"Oh, well I was gunna say she's meeting new people but-" Faith revised with wide, innocent eyes. She cut herself off with a giggle, and Gunn soon joined her in laughter.

Angel rolled off the petite blonde beneath him for the fourth time that night. He wrapped an arm around her and gently pulled her to him, so her head was resting on heaving chest.

"Mmm…I could do that forever." Buffy moaned as her eyes closed with drowsiness.

"You're not tired? I mean if you want we can-" Angel looked down at her with a giddy smile. This girl really got to him.

"Oh no. I'm spent. Pleasantly numb even." Buffy opened her eyes, and all the happiness fled from her face. "You know I'm not exactly who you think I am, Angel. I'm different from other girls." She looked up at him with sad eyes, knowing that if he knew who-_what_ she was, he would shut her down just like the others.

"It doesn't matter. Not to me. The other difference between you and other girls is that you're special. All those girls go around pretending to be someone their not, being fake. That's not you, Buffy. I know that." Angel tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, and brushed his hand down her cheek.

Buffy sat up and wrapped the top of the red satin sheets around her naked upper body. She held it with one hand while she ran the other through her sex-mussed hair, in attempt at taming it. Her fingers got tangled and after a few seconds of trying to work through them she pulled her fingers free, and dropped in her lap in annoyance, accompanied with a slight pout. Which earned a light chuckle from Angel.

Buffy took a deep breath, becoming serious again, before she started. "Look, you-you really don't understand. I'm-" She paused working out in her mind how she's gunna tell him her little secret. "I'm a Summers woman." She began nervously. "A-and, well for over 200 hundred years the woman in my family have always been-kay you know what, I'm just going to tell you straight up and I'll completely understand if you want this-whatever "this" _is_-to end or-or stop before it's even begun and I'm rambling." She finished with a nervously laugh as she ducked her head in embarrassment. "You'll really have to stop me before I trail on that long next time."

"Nah…I think it's cute." He sat up and placed a light kiss to her lips, silently telling her it was okay. "It's okay Buffy. Whatever it is that's makin you feel uneasy…I'm okay with it." Angel smiled reassuringly.

Buffy couldn't take how sweet and gentle this guy was being with her. It wasn't something she was use to. She leaned forward and captured his lips in an urgent kiss.

Faith and Gunn had left the party a long while ago noting everyone was leaving them selves. It was nearly three in the morning now, and the couple walked down to the park not far from the house.

Faith was a little hesitant about leaving her sister behind, without even letting her know she had gone, but then Gunn assured her that she was save at Angel's place, and they could call first thing in the morning…well, later that morning.

Faith sat down on a swing, soothingly swaying side to side. Gunn sat in the swing next to hers and looked out into the light pink and purple sky.

Faith watched him intently. He seemed different to her. Most guys that hit on her just wanted to get in her pants…they just wanted her look: tough, dangerous, and sexy. But this guy seemed to look right through her. He treated her like an actually human being not some slut that'll give it up to anyone.

The truth was: Faith was flirt, and a big tease. But she hadn't slept with anyone. She liked feeling in control, and she wasn't gunna give into some guy who would just take advantage of her. She learned that from Buffy. Buffy had one bad experience in that department, and seeing the heartache she went through, Faith promised Buffy, and herself that she wouldn't let that happen to her.

"So what's your big secret?" Faith questioned lightly punching him in the arm.

"What?" Gunn turned back to her slightly caught off guard.

"I told you my big secret…you tell me yours. You got one?" He shook his head, dismissing the question immediately. "Oh c'mon! You gotta have at least one. I mean I'm a witch. Okay I get that you _probably_ won't have somethin that big, but I dunno, somethin like 'You were prematurely bald' or 'You love to watch Opera.'" Faith snickered out.

Gunn's head snapped to look at her. "Who told you bout that?" he asked voice filled with panic.

Faith's face lit up with a bright smile. "Get out! No kiddin?"

Gunn's panic faded. "Not if it makes you smile like that again. Hell, I'll tell you every embarrassing moment of Charles Gunn's life to see that smile again." Gunn smiled at how hung up this little sexy kitten got him.

"You're first name's Charles?"

"And the embarrassment begins." He sighed to himself. Faith laughed, and he relished in the sound. All of a sudden a thought popped into his head. "Come on…I wanna show you something." He stood up and pulled her up with him.

Holding hands, they walked deeper into the park.

"I'm a witch." Buffy blurted out finally.

After Buffy kissed him, one thing led to another, and well…here they were a few hours later. Buffy collapsed on top of Angel, resting her forehead on his shoulder.

"I knew you worked some kind of magic." He joked.

Buffy sat up exposing her whole top half to him. For some reason it was comfortable, and not at all awkward.

Angel gazed at her, loving how beautiful she looked astride his waist. With her golden-blonde hair falling over her shoulders in loose waves.

"Angel, I'm serious. I'm a witch. But a good one, don't worry. I-I mean I barely even practice the craft anymore, just the basics but nothing dark, cause that's territory that I _do not _want to step into, it's completely unpredictable and I thought you said you would stop my rambling next time?" Buffy finished giving him a pleading look.

Angel leaned back on his elbows, and smiled at the gorgeous woman looking down at him. "Buffy…it doesn't matter."

"Well, it does to me. Rambling is a nervous habit that must be stopped." She claimed with a determined look and a short nod of her head.

"No, not that. About you being a witch. Look, my parents have told me some stories about the Summers women, and okay yeah I admit, it was a little bit of a shock to find out but, it's not a big deal. I've got some family secrets myself." Angel stated trying to comfort her.

"Oh yeah, like what?" Buffy crossed her arms over her chest, much to Angel's disappointment.

"Well, there was this-this one time, when my grandfather got in trouble with the IRS and-" Angel responded weakly, in a quiet voice.

Buffy cut him off with a frustrated groan. "This is so _completely_ different from that, and you know it." She said as she got off him and the bed, taking the sheet with her, leaving Angel with just the comforter. "IRS: _normal_ family secret. Spells, witches, and magic: Not-so normal."

"Look Buffy I understand that-"

"Shh!" She hushed him, putting up a hand to silence him.

"Why do you keep cutting me off?" he asked in a childish voice.

"Listen!" the two stayed quite for a few seconds. "Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"Exactly." Angel got up and pulled his jeans on, not bothering to pull on a shirt. "No music, no talking. Why is it so quiet?" Buffy wrapped the sheet tighter around her, holding a bunch at the top, to keep it from falling.

Angel opened the door, and peered outside, and around the corners of his bedroom door. No one there. He walked farther out and walked down the hall towards the stairs, Buffy following him. He looked upon an empty living room, littered with beer bottles, pop cans, and empty snack bowls.

"Everyone's gone…when did this happen?" Buffy asked, more to herself.

"Sometime between the first time, and the…other times." He looked around the empty house with a smile. "You don't think you chased them all off with your screams, did you?" turning to her with a smirk firmly planted on his face.

"Excuse me! _My_ screams! What about you're moaning and groaning? I swear you even growled a coupla times. You were all 'Grrr, Argh'. So don't you start in on me, mister." The petite blonde mock scolded him, poking a finger into his bare chest.

"What can I say? You make me act like an animal." Angel picked Buffy up and threw her over his shoulder in the fireman carry, earning a squeak from her. He playfully smacked her ass, and carried her back into the bedroom.

Love it? Hate it? Let Me Know!


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